Israel Bombs Christian-Run Hospital on Palm Sunday, No Direct Casualties

Israel bombed the last fully functioning and only Christian-run hospital in Gaza City on Sunday, resulting in one death.

The Details: Israel destroyed part of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, claiming it was a “command and control center used by Hamas.” Gaza’s emergency service didn’t report any casualties from the bombing. However, a child hospitalized with a head wound died from “the rushed evacuation process,” according to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital.

Key Quotes: Israel attributed the low casualty count to its efforts to “mitigate harm to civilians or to the hospital compound, including issuing advanced warnings in the area of the terror infrastructure, the use of precise munitions, and aerial surveillance.” The Episcopal Diocese said it was “appalled” at the bombing “on the morning of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.” The Hamas-run health ministry said the hospital was “completely destroyed.”

For Context: In October 2023, a deadly explosion at al-Ahli Hospital killed nearly 500. Media outlets disagreed on who was responsible, with The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) concluding it was a projectile from Palestine, while The New York Times (Lean Left) found it more likely it was an Israeli bomb. In November 2023, Israel seized the al-Rantisi Hospital, which it accused Hamas of using to hold hostages.

How The Media Covered It: The story was most covered by outlets from the left and center, though prominent outlets from the right like Newsmax (Right), Just The News (Lean Right), and Daily Mail (Right) also covered it. Many outlets highlighted that it was the last fully functioning hospital in Gaza City. ZeroHedge (Lean Right) framed the story from the angle that it was a Christian hospital, which most other outlets did not. Al Jazeera (Lean Left) prominently noted that Hamas denied it was using the hospital as a command center and that Israel made the claim “without evidence.”